The Celluloid Closet (1996)
Documentary, History • 1h 42m
Overview
What "That's Entertainment" did for movie musicals, "The Celluloid Closet" does for Hollywood homosexuality, as this exuberant, eye-opening movie serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians have had on the silver screen. Lily Tomlin narrates as Oscar-winning moviemaker Rob Epstein ("The Times of Harvey Milk" and "Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt") and Jeffrey Friedman assemble fabulous footage from 120 films showing the changing face of cinema sexuality, from cruel stereotypes to covert love to the activist triumphs of the 1990s. Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Curtis, Harvey Fierstein and Gore Vidal are just a few of the many actors, writers and commentators who provide funny and insightful anecdotes.
Directors: Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman
Cast: Lily Tomlin, Tony Curtis, Susan Sarandon, Gore Vidal, Whoopi Goldberg, Antonio Fargas, Shirley MacLaine, John Schlesinger, Armistead Maupin, Arthur Laurents, Tom Hanks, Farley Granger, Quentin Crisp, Harry Hamlin, Sharon Stone, Susie Bright, Mart Crowley, Jay Presson Allen, Richard Dyer, Jan Oxenberg, Paul Rudnick, Barry Sandler, Ron Nyswaner, Daniel Melnick, Stewart Stern, Harvey Fierstein
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
Director: Michael Apted
Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: 2003 Sony/Columbia NTSC DVD 2.0
5.1 remix: 2024 Sony Blu-ray
The 5.1 track on the UHD is a remix originally included on the 2024 Blu-ray, but missing the LFE track. The UHD 2.0 track is a downmix of the faulty 5.1, severely lacking bass.
The digital track on the earlier LaserDisc is most likely the same as DVD, minus the lossy compression.
Director: Michael Apted
Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: 2003 Sony/Columbia NTSC DVD 2.0
5.1 remix: 2024 Sony Blu-ray
The 5.1 track on the UHD is a remix originally included on the 2024 Blu-ray, but missing the LFE track. The UHD 2.0 track is a downmix of the faulty 5.1, severely lacking bass.
The digital track on the earlier LaserDisc is most likely the same as DVD, minus the lossy compression.
Director: Rob Reiner
Director: Rob Reiner
2026 Sony/Columbia 4K Blu-ray
2026 Sony/Columbia 4K Blu-ray
2026 Sony/Columbia 4K Blu-ray
2026 Sony/Columbia 4K Blu-ray
Director: Albert Brooks
Director: Albert Brooks
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Luc Besson
StudioCanal / Gaumont / Sony 4K Blu-ray
SC caps. Great-looking 4K master except for DNR'd higher-gen shots such as the opening sequence. StudioCanal resolves finer detail but has encoding issues in highlights, the non-Original Camera Negative shots and traces of chroma noise. Sony used a low-pass filter which makes the film look less sharp and finely detailed but the encode is more consistent.
Director: Luc Besson
StudioCanal / Gaumont / Sony 4K Blu-ray
SC caps. Great-looking 4K master except for DNR'd higher-gen shots such as the opening sequence. StudioCanal resolves finer detail but has encoding issues in highlights, the non-Original Camera Negative shots and traces of chroma noise. Sony used a low-pass filter which makes the film look less sharp and finely detailed but the encode is more consistent.
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Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray 4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
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Directors: Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
4K Streaming
The Capelight 4K Blu-ray has both German and English audio, defaulting to the former, but only has German subtitles
Directors: Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
4K Streaming
The Capelight 4K Blu-ray has both German and English audio, defaulting to the former, but only has German subtitles
Various Blu-ray labels but no comparison available, including US Anchor Bay, UK Spirit and more
Various Blu-ray labels but no comparison available, including US Anchor Bay, UK Spirit and more
Edit History
12/31/2024























